Walk Among Ghosts
by GM Andy
Summary: After Serenity. Mal and his crew attempt to go on with their lives. This includes whatever work they can find and avoiding the Alliance. A drop on an abandoned world leads to a shocking discovery. Can they solve the mystery before the killer returns? S
1. The Walk Begins

**A/N**: This is _REVISED AND UPDATED_ but not all new.  
I don't own anything to do with _Firefly_ or _Serenity.  
_Nor do I own the ghosts in this story. They belong to my co-'ghost'-writer, and good friend, 24K.  
All I own is the plot and the setting.

Part One: Walk Among Ghosts

The Serenity sat, nestled in a shady clearing, waiting for her captain to return. For once the engineer was not lounging in her favorite lawn chair either. Her attention wavered from the panel that she was securing to the scene around her. Her face was slightly troubled instead of her normal open cheer. On the ground, River gracefully floated between the trees, in and out of view. Simon was inside, both taking stock of his supplies and helping Kaylee when she called for it. They waited for the tougher looking crewmembers, Mal, Jayne, and Zoë, all of whom were off with the mule making a drop. After experiencing River in combat mode, Kaylee couldn't call her weak. Her eyes followed the green-clad slim gal for a moment.

Bare feet padded over the forest duff, toes reveling in the feeling of dirt instead of metal for once. She could dance with joy. Quiet joy, for sure, but joy all the same. She'd been blissfully happy and surprising sane for the last few weeks. While the good emotions threatened to wipe out her natural jitters, she was enjoying them too much to care at the moment. Synthetic silk rustled pleasantly in the comfortable air around her bare legs as she moved with rare freedom through the trees. She lifted herself up on her toes and did a graceful twirl, arms up over her head and the wispy sleeves of her dress flowing around her head. Ignoring the watchful eyes of the engineer and her medically inclined brother; River gave into her inner child and let her body move gracefully in a dance that expressed her sweet happiness. Sometimes she danced to a tempo that only she could hear usually when no one else was watching, but today she was beyond caring if someone saw her.

The engineer in question felt the chill of the shadows where she was perched atop the firefly class ship. Just inches away from her hand were patches of sunlight, and the warmth of them called to her. Faint strands of the wind breezing through the high trees, distant water murmuring over rocks, the slight hum of Simon in the ship below her all served to center her. Which was good. Because for some reason every time her mind wandered she began to feel like there was something wrong. She looked around for the source of her unease and sighed. Dappled sunlight and the faint sound of rushing water should sooth nerves not make them string out to the breaking point, Kaylee observed. Something about this place wasn't right. Times like these she missed the sound of Wash over the headset, playing with his toys, cracking jokes… River would be inside but for the insistence that the drop didn't need the ship ready to come to the rescue. Considering that she was fixing it, that was good too. She went back to fastening the last few bolts on the panel.

Watching the mechanic as she worked usually kept Simon well occupied. He found that her ability with mechanics was enthralling, particularly as he learned more about the intricacies involved. Not that he had thought the job was easy, no. But he hadn't really known how much Kaylee knew, nor how truly brilliant she was with machines until he started really paying attention to it while they repaired the ship together. His respect for the woman he loved had grown in leaps and bounds. Never again would be make her feel like she was simple, or below him. Her knowledge might have not come from books or the university, and she might not have degrees in it, but those bits of paper didn't matter anymore. She was more than his equal. With that thought, Simon lifted the hatch and glanced around. "Kaylee? You about done?"

She nodded and moved across the hull toward him. Her discomfort fading as he took her hand and helped her inside the ship. She smiled. "Yep, all done. And glad to be, too."

He matched her smile, "River seems good today. In fact, she almost seems to be doing too good. Should we check on her?" Simon would care about his sister, Kaylee knew. She threw her arms around the doctor's neck, kissed him soundly, and nodded that they should go look at whatever it was that River was up to. Simon hugged and kissed back before ushering her down the catwalks and stairs that lead outside.

The slight young woman that drifted about her life in an unusual state of hyperawareness was, at that very same moment, paused in a ray of sunlight. Her dark wavy hair glistened with a rich brown radiance as it flowed around her shoulders. Slim legs and bare but dainty feet held an amazing amount of grace as they peeked out from the wispy hem of her rich green dress. Waves and eddies of warm and cool air lightly swirled over her pale skin. The hairs at the back of her neck rose with the touch of a rather bone-chilling current. She swiveled her head the direction the feeling came from and her rational mind whispered, 'Wait for the others. Show them that you have not gone crazy again.' The chill seemed to know she was resisting and it returned to wrap itself around her arms. River felt an undeniable pull. "Simon?"

Distantly her brother's voice carried to her, "Yes, Mei Mei?"

Kaylee sounded closer, "River? You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She felt warm hands, her brother's hands, grasping her arms over the same area the chill had settled. River turned her head to look into her brother's eyes. Worry, compassion, fear… She could read Simon like a book. Images filled her mind from someplace, someone or something attempting to communicate with her. The jumble was confusing and scary and undeniable. She felt compelled to follow. Ignoring the pull, grounding her mind and placing the images into some sort of context would take way more than she had. Instead she looked at her brother and tried to draw from his force of will. It was enough to let her form a sentence or two that was not total gibberish. A breath of air filled her lungs before she forced a happy smile. "They want us to follow, Simon. They are that way." It was all she could manage.

Kaylee looked the direction that River indicated with one graceful movement, unsure of the wisdom that might make someone actually move off into the unmapped woods around them. She fidgeted and looked back at River. Simon was trying to regain his sister's attention but not being overly successful at it.

"Who, River? Who wants us to follow?" Simon wondered sometimes if his brilliant but damaged sister would ever recover from what was done to her. He knew though that if she felt something, if she knew something, then the chance was that eventually everyone would get caught up in whatever mystery lurked about anyway. The expression on River's face once the smile faded did not bode well. She looked horrified. "River?"

It was that emotion of terror on River's face that was the nail in the coffin of Kaylee's bravery. She reached for the pair, "Let's go back to the ship, Okay?" The feeling of unease hammered at the mechanic, growing stronger by the minute. Kaylee felt River's strong slim hand take hers and tug her toward the ship. She was fine with that; thrilled with it. Anything to get away from whatever it was that made this planet feel so wrong was brilliant as far as she was concerned.

Simon cocked his head at his sister's sudden acquiescence with his lover's panicked suggestion. It was not like Kaylee to be fearful when planetside, and it was not like River to go the opposite direction from where she was being pulled. Something about this tickled his nerves. Ice crept up his spine. He hurried to keep up. The sound of the mule, a welcome hum met them as they crossed the clearing. Mal and Zoë were in the front; Jayne was in the back next to what should have not been in their possession anymore. Simon called out; "You didn't make the drop? We came all this way and…"

"It was a no-show." Zoë answered as she powered down the craft. Her voice was slightly irritated sounding but her face was a stanch as ever. Jayne made a face as he landed on his feet outside the mule. The captain shrugged. "We can get better pay for this cargo elsewhere, doctor. It's not our loss," she continued.

Hearing that the mule had returned, Inara walked out of the cargo bay and into the sunlight, watching the entire conversation. Her face was natural, lacking the artificial color of makeup, but her clothes were still what a companion would wear. It was freeing, in a way, to take off that old mask and let these people, her adopted family, see her as she really was. For the most part they didn't seem to mind. She let her eyes drift to River. The slim wisp of a pilot was looking back over her shoulder like something was calling to her. Inara begin to move toward the other woman, fearful that River would bolt. Zoë passed everyone with an armload of the cargo that they had hoped to sell; unaware that River was acting anything unlike River.

The dark haired girl, well nearly a woman, mostly a woman… rather the system's kick-ass secret weapon, was walking toward Serenity. She focused on Inara. Something in the companion's dark eyes spoke of understanding, an awareness that by rights shouldn't be there. River gave her a sassy eyebrow raise, one of her 'what-do-you-know, really?' looks that the slim woman was so good with. Inara responded with a quiet 'nothing-more-than-I-should' expression. But the companion knew that River was far more sensitive to eddies and currents that made up the flow of life and love, death and hate, than even she was. Her eyes revealed a kind of haunted emotion that only someone in current contact with the other side could manage. A feeling of chill, cold and icy, rose in the companion's chest that threatened to root her feet to the metal ramp. It intensified until it hurt.

Suddenly River was in motion, twisting away from her brother and darting back to the woods. Everyone else seemed to move in slow motion to Inara as her body took over. Things happened so fast that she actually had no chance of reaching the wispy pilot before the green fabric of her dress was nothing but a flash in the trees. Still, her mind was in the backseat, she did not think but instead she allowed her body to move in instinct in an attempt to keep up with River's form. Inara ran. Sounds of the others being startled behind her nearly made her shout, but River was moving fast, faster than Inara thought she could move. And the pilot's feet were nearly silent against the soft forest floor. Inara glued her eyes on the fleeting figure in front of her and hoped the others would follow.

To Mal, the entire episode was surreal. Well, River always was odd, but 'Nara? Running at full speed, a flash of rich golden silk and streaming black curls… He never thought he'd see such a thing. Zoë tapped his arm, "Better follow them?" he asked. She nodded and set off in a jog behind Simon and Kaylee. Mal sighed and broke into a run.

Jayne watched and stopped long enough to hit the hatch of the cargo bay to close the ship before also following.

Simon had been beside his sister when she turned. He cursed himself in the most colorful manner ha could think of, mentally, for taking his eyes off of her for even a moment. It took him a second to realize that Inara, of all people, had sprinted after River, her colorful floor-length tunic flashing as her black clad legs carried her off into the woods. He didn't think past that, really. His own pursuit was less graceful than Inara's, and if it were not for the vivid gold of her tunic he doubted he could follow at all. River had been doing so well. He honestly believed that the Reavers in her head had been the problem. And yet, she was still unable to filter out feelings around her, so anything could happen. He was aware of the others following him, Muttered curses, warm teasing in Zoë's rich voice, and Mal's rather ironic laugher… Kaylee was running next to him, nearly in a jog, really. Her worried look damped his spirits. He'd tell her it was all right, if he could spare the breath for it. Instead he smiled, as if to say that this was nothing more than River being playful after months in space. He sure hoped that was the case, anyhow.

The tree trunks flashed past her eyes, but she was not fully aware of them. Her focus was on something that no one could see. River could still feel the pull of the cold hands, like someone was floating ahead of her, tugging her forward. She burst out of the cover of the trees, alongside a brook, fast moving and rocky, that wound its way through the rugged terrain. She felt the impetus to go upstream. The path was steep. 'Fei hua!' she cursed. She needed to wait, to resist this drive until the others caught up. River fought the tug and managed to pause a moment. Inara stepped out of the trees nearby. The pull redoubled its efforts at Inara's appearance. Not having the strength to keep fighting, River looked at her. She needed the companion to understand, "It wants us to go that way. I – have to…" River moved off, easily scaling the boulders and muddy path, slower but with more grace than any of the others would ever be able to manage.

Again, there was no time to reach the pilot before her feet carried her away, "River, wait!" Inara tried to get the pilot to stop, or slow, or something. Anything really, just so the others could catch up. But if the girl heard she wasn't obeying. At this rate, River would be out of sight before the others even cleared the trees. Inara set her jaw and set about scaling the path without wasting any more air with talk. She was about halfway up the steep path before Simon and Kaylee emerged from the forest. She turned, waved to catch their eyes, and resumed her climb. River was already out of sight.

Simon emerged into the sunny bank of the stream and looked around. Where was River? Beside him Kaylee almost didn't pause, her eyes spotting 'Nara, "There, Simon. Look. Inara is waving. She must have seen River. Come on." She tugged his sleeve and ran to the path. He was amazed by how Kaylee charged up it like this was the most natural thing. Simon watched her with wide eyes, caught a deep breath, and trudged on. Just as Inara and Kaylee moved out of his line of sight, Mal, Jayne and Zoë jogged into the sunlight. Kaylee's voice carried back on the breeze, "Gwai-gwai long duh dong!" The curse was enough to make all four scramble up the cliff-side in rather a panic.


	2. The Castle

**A/N**: Another _REVISED & UPDATED_ chapter. Still not totally new, though.  
I've fixed a few odd places, brought Mal into it a bit more, and added some Chinese cussing. (Well, it's _Firefly_, yeah?)  
Thanks to my co-'ghost'-writer, 24K for the input, prodding, and suggestion that I watch _Out of Gas_ last night.

Serenity: Walk Among Ghosts

Part 2: the castle

River paused to take in the view once she reached the top of the cliff. The shock was enough to freeze her feet. Ahead of her, the base masked by trees, was a rather imposing, dusty-soot colored – _castle_. Well, her mind thought it looked like a castle. It had all the trappings of one, at the very least. The towers rose above the trees at two corners of what she guessed would be thick walls. One of the near corners looked as though some massive creature had torn the tower apart, the large stone blocks crumbling into and on top of the remaining round shape visible just above the tree tops. Her pause was long enough for a small but strong hand to firmly grip her shaking arm. A voice soothingly whispered, "River? It is all right. No one is angered with you. River?" Some part of River was aware enough to turn her head and look into Inara Serra's eyes before gripping the companion's face and forcing her to look at the structure. "—Oh!" The surprise in the sound threatened to send River into a fit of giggles. Now why had she overlooked such an imposing building when plotting the path for landing the ship, she wondered. Surely it showed up on the scans. Maybe the fact that there was no life signs or energy readings caused her to ignore it. River was inwardly alarmed. Something was pulling her toward the edifice, of that she had no doubt, and having overlooked it being so close to the chosen landing spot was a gross error in judgement. Her captain should skin her alive for such a horrid mistake.

Kaylee, having arrived with 'Nara, stood slack-jawed slightly behind the two dark haired women, her light sandy-brown hair catching a breeze off the creek that flowed just off to the left of the path. Her eyes were glued to the ruins in front of her. "Inara, have you ever… seen anything like this before?" she tore her eyes off the building to look at the shocked companion. The other woman didn't even need to answer. Her face revealed that there shouldn't be a castle here on this far-flung world. And even if one had been built, it should still be teaming with life, not a ruin like this one was.

The other four crewmembers of the good ship _Serenity_ gained the edge of the path, the doctor bending over and grasping his knees to aid in catching his breath. Zoë swore softly in surprise, "Ai ya…"

It took Mal a second to register what it was that had the women's attention. 'Kao!' he thought in his mind, 'it's a castle, right out of a child's storybook. How the di-yu --?' He shook his head and looked to River, "Well, isn't this interesting. River, how did your scans miss this?" Mal's voice was a blend of out-of-breath, annoyance, and exasperation. River turned with her eyes the size of saucers and shook her head. "Look, girl, it's Okay. We all make mistakes. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Come on. Back to the ship."

"Sir, don't you think we should make sure that there's no threat here?" Zoë was ever practical, and she could tell that River, if forced, would explode into a full capable-of-removing-an-army weapon that none of them stood a chance against. At this point, Serenity was more at risk of her sabotaging delicate systems to get out than the crew was of whatever might live in the ruins. She eyed Inara's firm, near white-knuckle, grip on River's arm, one that was holding River back from what might be pulling her forward. "I don't recall there being any large homesteads here, in any case. Do you?"

Mal eyed his second for a moment. Since Wash had died, Zoë was slipping more and more into her old military persona. That worried him somewhat. Still, she could read River better than most of them so there had to be a reason for the suggestion. He eyed the green-garbed girl for a minute before settling on Inara's face and seeing her pleading look. He was going to regret this if the lead feeling in his gut was any indication. Tightening his jaw he nodded, "All right. Let's have a look around then."

Zoë moved to the front, "River, walk with me, okay?" The longhaired young woman stepped up beside her, just back enough to give the older woman a clear view. She heard Mal set the others in place with Jayne taking the rear as they set off into the scattering of thin-trucked trees. 'Nara kept close as well, close enough to keep a light hand on River's shoulder. Zoë could hear the pilot muttering softly under her breath as they walked. The words sounded like 'Ghosts… Walk with me, and you will see… there is no more blood in my ethereal flesh… ghosts like me never rest….' There was more, some spoken so softly that she couldn't pick out individual words. Glancing back at the companion revealed that she too was listening to the riddle and trying to make sense of it. Zoë decided to leave it in Inara's capable hands for the moment and focus on keeping everyone safe.

The walk was a short one. They reached the edge of an overgrown lawn, bound by overgrown hedges. There was a gate teetering off its hinges and the creaking of metal strained by heavy weight reached their ears. She looked at River. "Stay here while I look around." River nodded and folded her arms across her chest. Zoë moved forward relying on her military training to keep her safe. Mal signaled Jayne to follow his second and watch her back. Zoë imagined that Jayne was looking a shade pale at the order. She heard his footsteps behind her. "Jayne? Check the carriage house."

"The what?" Leave it to Jayne to not know what a carriage house was. Zoë pointed at the large garage like structure just past the gates. "Oh, you mean the ship barn."

"Jayne, this is a castle. Castles don't have 'ship barns.' They have 'carriage houses.' For horse drawn carriages."

"When did you become Inara, anyhow?"

"Just check it out, Jayne."

"Yes, Sir."

Zoë turned her attention to sweeping the courtyard. It was rather nicely maintained, if a bit weedy. The cobblestones were in good shape. The fountain in the middle was dry; parts of it stained with a rusty brown scale of some sort. She swallowed. It couldn't be blood. Jayne reappeared and waved the all clear. She motioned him toward the massive front doors. He quirked an eyebrow before moving up to the steps opposite her. Zoë took the point and moved up to the door. She pushed. The door made a creaking sound as it swung open. Dust motes danced in the stale smelling air beyond. Jayne stood next to her and looked around. She waved him off to the side before turning to the butler's quarters that stood to her left. The door was blocked with a heavy metal bar and a padlock. Zoë stared for a moment before sweeping the rest of the narrow room. She ended up at the inner door, which was just as heavy as the last one, but on a smaller scale.

Jayne felt weird about this place. Something was not right. The outer building was filled with fancy wagons and coaches, all covered with a layer of dust. The long room he now scouted was nearly empty except for the thick carpet so dusty that the colors were muted to shades of browns and tan. Each step raised clouds of dust motes. The air had a faint tang to it that he wanted to say was death, but there were no signs of a struggle here. He reached the end of the room, looked at the odd cloth hanging on the wall there and grimaced at the morbid scene of an ancient battle before turning to head back toward Zoë. She was eyeing the carpet with a look that was oddly blank. As he reached her she focused on the door, looked at him for an indication of readiness and pushed it open.

As the door opened the inner lights came on, flickering to life mimicking candles. The room beyond was breathtaking. It was a proper entry hall, complete with suits of armor and weapons. Wood parquet flooring in multi-hued splendor led the eye to the sweeping stairs at the far end. A few bits of furniture scattered about were covered in white sheets. Surely it was fit to be part of a fairytale castle. Jayne had never seen anything like it before. He gawked.

Zoë stood there for a moment, watching him. Unbelievable. He'd never seen a castle before? Never been to anyplace with a replica? She leaned against the frame for another second as she waited for his mind to catch up. He looked over at her and seemed to realize she was waiting. His shoulders bobbed. She rolled her eyes and indicated for Jayne to sweep one side while she took the other. He nodded and moved into the room. About half way along she found a somewhat concealed door. She stopped. "Jayne?"

"There's a huge dining room on this side," Jayne answered awestruck by the sheer size.

"So this is likely the kitchen. Keep sweeping." She moved on without opening the door. Upon reaching the end of the hall, both of them were aware of the large round room with the stairs in the middle. Above them was an open landing. Doors were evenly spaced along the walls both above and below. The doors on the main floor opened to a hall with servant's quarters, a study, a conservatory, a ballroom, and a game room. The upper landing held a series of bedrooms and a huge library. Each room was filled with covered furniture. But aside from that the castle was empty. Zoë looked at Jayne. He was not her usual choice to bounce ideas off of, but Wash was gone, Book was gone, and Mal was set to leave. It was Jayne or no one; "River is acting odd. Did you notice?"

Jayne shrugged his shoulders; "Crazy girl always acts odd, I reckon. What is she doin' different this time?"

She had to think about that for a moment. "Well, Jayne… I've got a hunch that something in this castle is pulling her here. And if I'm right do we really want to deal with River in her 'reaver killer' mode?" Jayne blanched a bit before shaking his head. "Didn't think so. So we need to give her time to work this out, what ever it is. I think it's safe enough for the others."

"There's nothing here, Zoë. Why stay?"

"The furniture here is worth a fortune, Jayne. It's all a matter of finding the right buyer."

"Oh, yeah. Mal'll like that. Wonder if there's any hidden treasures here."

Zoë smirked a bit. She could always count on Jayne's greed to pull him into the plan. She'd let him act like the value in the furniture was his idea if it came down to convincing Mal of the need to stay. "Come on then, let's go get the others."


	3. Meet the Ghosts?

**A/N**: Still yet... Ha! but you must know already!   
This chapter has less revision than the other two, but it still has some.  
Thanks again to 24K, who keeps me on my toes and gives me ideas that go bump in the night.  
I own nothing but the twisted imagination that this springs from. Heck I don't even own the ghosts.

Walk Among Ghosts

Part 3: Meet the – Ghosts?

Malcolm Reynolds was usually a patient man. Usually. He did however, on occasion, give into the impulse of hasty action that marked him as "unstable" in the eyes of the Alliance. Not that he cared as long as the purple-bellied bloat stayed far away from he and his. They normally showed up at the most inconvenient moment. Moments such as this, actually. Being that he was feeling jittery and that he'd been stood up for a drop, the cargo gained by ill-gotten means sitting in the relative open of his unlocked ship's cargo hold with him rather a distance away, he was actually expecting the sound of an Alliance ship any second now. He could already picture the floating city-like ship coming down at them through the clear blue sky. He closed his eyes and tried to turn off his overactive imagination.

Then again, it didn't help matters that his second-in-command and his gun-for-hire were off prowling around a mysterious castle-like structure right out of _Sleeping Beauty_ leaving his as the only gun, either. He disliked being divided like this when his instincts were riled up and misfiring. Today, those instincts of his were all over the damn map. The only safe place to be would be far from here. Not that leaving this world would keep his ship safe with that cargo aboard. Alliance could just as easily mow them down in space as they could here…

He did have River Tam on his side. Alliance didn't have a chance unless there was several armies' worth in attendance. Mal looked over at the slim young woman straining at the twisted metal gate and then to the companion holding onto River's arm. He sighed. Once again, River led them into something that only she understood. "An explanation? Looking for a lonely knight in shining armor, perhaps? Unicorns and fairies?" He began to pace; "There should be nothing here. No homesteads, no outposts, not even a smuggler's catch. What _is_ a castle doing here, River?" Might as well try to get the girl to talk, seeing as they were stuck here until whatever needed to be done was done.

River reached through the bars of the off hinged gate like she was feeling something, "Cold – so cold. Cold and alone. No purple elephants here." Coming from anyone else that would have bothered Mal, but not when River spoke so. He'd long since realized that 'purple elephants' was Alliance. Of course he'd been thrown the first time she'd told him 'purple elephants are flying' and had he understood what she was saying at the time he'd have been a lot more mindful to the danger. Since then he'd gotten to the point that he paid attention to her riddles due to the annoying fact that ignoring them usually led to a brush with death. River reading why his temper was short didn't bother him either. He'd gotten used to having her around and was more disturbed on reflection that he had learned to understand what her odd words meant. The doc was looking at his sister like she had lost progress on her recovery. Barely concealed dismay marred his features. River knew that too, even without looking, "He wanted to know if the purple-bellies were near, Simon." A roll of the head and a look that clearly conveyed 'don't be daft' accompanied her words. Mal relaxed enough to enjoy his amusement over the exchange.

"Oh! I get it," Kaylee replied with sudden understanding. "Is that was you picture when you think of the Alliance, Captain?"

Mal raised his hands and shook his head, "Nope, the elephants belong entirely to River. I do, however understand her code, perhaps more than the rest of you." He looked a the pilot, "So – castle?" He waited as his pilot closed her eyes and seemed to focus both inward and out. It was somewhat odd to _feel_ River's mind as she reached for more understanding in an attempt to answer his question.

Finally her voice reached his ears, "The omnipotent lived here. Now gone beyond. The phantasms cry in the vapor of the marl for retribution," River struggled with the images in her head, the icy tug forward, and the difficulty of finding words that described what she knew. Speaking plainly would have helped, had she been able to do so. The impressions fled across her mind's eye so fast that she had no time to revise the words that she spoke to make them plain though. Mal studied her a moment before turning to Inara.

The companion raised an eyebrow at him. She could only guess at River's meaning, "The master of the castle has left, but those he abandoned want revenge?"

It was at that point that Zoë and Jayne reappeared in the courtyard. "All clear, Captain. There's no danger apparent -- "

"You gotta see the inside of this place!" Jayne interrupted as he bounded forward with excitement. Mal knit his brows together for a moment. "There is a fully stocked kitchen, high quality stuff too. Furniture, everything." The gun-for-hire nearly bounced in his excitement. That was odd, in a way. Except for the fact that food was involved. The captain's eyes flicked back to his pilot. She was dragging Inara forward towards the fountain and the Companion was just keeping up enough to not look clumsy even as she pleaded for the others to follow with her eyes. Mal internally clamped down on the unease growing in his chest, brushed his hand over his gun to make sure it was still there, and locked eyes with Zoë.

"Let's do this thing," he stated out loud. His feet took him across the cobblestones and past his first in command. He felt her fall into step with him. Jayne fell into place as the doc and Kaylee followed.

The glance at the fountain as he passed it was a mistake. It arrested his steps rooting him in place. The color inside the sooty stone basin was the exact same color as long dried blood. He found himself sharing a look with the dark skinned woman whom he would trust with his life. Her eyes revealed that she instinctively reacted to the stain the same way he did. Simon Tam stopped to look at what was holding Mal's attention, but it was Kaylee who voiced the question that no one else could bring themselves to ask; "Oh my -- dung ee-miao -- is that blood?"

"Likely, no." Simon reassured. Still he had to admit that it looked like bloodstains, and the volume of blood required would have been massive.

Unspotted, the pilot paused, turned, and moved back toward the others. Inara was hard pressed to keep up with her and seemed like the only one paying attention to the movements River was making. A hand settled on the mechanic's shoulder, "They didn't feel anything. Their pain had long since passed by the time they ended up here." Kaylee started and stared at River. Her mouth worked like a fish out of water.

"Stop fooling around, mei-mei." Simon scolded. He took a scraping and bent to his ever-present tiny sampler kit carried in a pant cargo pocket. The analysis was mixed, but he felt no need to say that. "It's algae," he announced. Kaylee relaxed. Mal and Zoë just looked at Simon with knowing glances. He brushed it off, stood, and guided his lover toward the door that Jayne had already reached. River let off a rather disturbing giggle.

Jayne couldn't understand why the others even stopped at the dry fountain. Then again, he hadn't bothered to look at it overly close. The courtyard gave him a case of the chills and his instinct was to move through it as quickly as possible. The outer hall didn't make him feel much better, but the long narrow room seemed to be a defensible space unlike the open one where the others stood. "Well, you just gonna stand there and gawk?" he called from the door.

Mal's eyes bounced up to Jayne's quizzical expression. The irrational desire to punch the other man welled up in the captain's soul. Ever since Jayne had attempted to turn in the Tams, Mal had found his anger with him flared at times of stress. It was something he didn't always take out on Jayne though. He'd nearly lost Simon and River because he'd lashed out at the doctor when his nerves were already at the breaking point and Jayne had tried to take enough arms to kill an army along on a heist. It hadn't helped that Simon had punched him, admittedly. Squashing the impulse, he tore himself away from the stone fixture and towards the door. River darted just in front of him, like her position could protect him from whatever phantoms lurked in this place.

River let the pull guide her. It tugged her through the door that Jayne, Simon, and Kaylee waited at. Once past the door and onto the dusty carpet, she found herself looking at a door that was barred shut. The chill on her arms lessened, swirled about her for a moment, then tugged again, pulling her away from the obvious and into the main entry hall. Only then was River aware of the sheer numbers of individual wisps of icy cold that moved through the castle. There had to be dozens of them. The tug turned into a spine tingling chill that raced up and down her body. The entire mass of them spun around her, each single one attempting to reach out for – help. "Please stop," she pleaded. "Please…" She felt her mind retreat from reality in an attempt to protect itself from the volume of thoughts flowing at her.

The other crewmembers watched River as she drifted past them into the open hall with its polished wooden floor. The sudden drop in temperature just past the door stunned each of them. They could see River's breath as it misted up in puffs as she whispered nonsense. The sight momentarily kept the six of them frozen just past the door. "Sir?" Zoë inquired.

It was Inara who moved first to River's side, "Leave her alone!" she commanded whatever it was that River was responding to. "Just back off. You are hurting her." Amazingly enough the chill obeyed. The companion wrapped her arms around River as the other woman's knees gave out. "Look at me, River." Inara took her face and turned it. The touch caused the pilot to cling to Inara's golden silk tunic. "It's okay." The pair of them begain to sway in the embrace slightly. River was so cold. The connection with what was here had lessened, but Inara could still feel them nearby. The hairs on her arms kept rising in waves.

"They are so scared. So cold. It's dark. They can't see. Footsteps overhead. Heavy boots, and the scrape of wood on stone. Things brittle lie under them. Oh, please make them stop!" River spoke with her face pressed into Inara's shoulder, her breath feverishly hot in contrast to her chilled skin.

Where everyone else was straining the hear River's whispers, Jayne was trying to figure out when the air conditioning had come on. Not only was the crazy girl acting even more odd than usual but also what ever ailed her seemed to be spreading. Now Inara was acting just as odd. "I'm going the locate the temperature controls. They seem to be mis-calibrated, or something." He walked off into the dinning room before anyone could stop him.

Mal looked at Zoë. "Is it bad that Jayne actually made some sense there?"

"It would be surprising logical that the internal sensors picked up our sweep and reacted to having people inside. Over long periods of time the controls could become uncalibrated, I suppose. But we've both known River for a while now. I'm not so sure Jayne is right," she answered while avoiding the original question. Simon went over to help Inara move his sister. "There's a study this way." Zoë stepped up and led them down the hall into the circular room with the stairs and through a doorway. Mal and Kaylee followed the others, and Mal whistled as Zoë flung a sheet off a plush suede couch so dark in color that he couldn't tell if it was black or something else.

A few minutes later Jayne walked in. "Odd. The system was still off."

"You sure?" Kaylee asked, "I could look at it and make sure it's not just the lights being burnt out or something."

"You do that, Kaylee," Mal ordered. "Jayne, stay with her."

"Right, Captain," came the ever-cheerful reply. Jayne just grumbled under his breath as he followed the mechanic back out into the hall. The air had returned to its previous comfortable temperature. Kaylee noted it with a frown. She looked at Jayne; "Something's not right here. Can't you feel it?"

Jayne looked at the mechanic with an odd expression, "Not you too, Kaylee. It's bad enough that we got two crazy women about. And I'm not including Zoë in that." He moved past her and toward the room with the controls that she needed to look at. "You coming?"

"There ain't a thing wrong with River and Inara, Jayne. They just intuit more than a thick skull like you."

Jayne listened to her feet as she walked, "Intuit? Is that even a word?"

"It means that they perceive and are sensitive to things that most of us overlook, you oaf."

"You mean they are crazy, then. Somethin' I already knew."

Kaylee growled at Jayne's back, "No. I don't mean that." She thought back to how she felt in the clearing after the mule had set out to make it's drop. "This place has given me the creeps from the moment I set foot to soil, and you know I'm not normally like that. I figure that if I could feel it, surely 'Nara and River felt it a thousand times stronger."

"Ain't nothing here, little Kaylee. Nothing at all. Absolutely no reason for you to feel anything strange, 'cuz there ain't nothing." Jayne pushed the door open and let her pass into the dining room. She looked over the long oval table and the carefully covered chairs. The room looked like it easily sat 50 plus with space to spare. She moved to the table and lifted up the sheet to look at the rare, highly polished, wood. It reflected her image like a mirror. She ran a finger over the edge admiring the craftsmanship of the piece. Jayne didn't even notice, as she became mesmerized, lightly stroking the edge of the table.

Kaylee suddenly found herself at a dinner party. Light music and the sounds of fine silver against expensive china swirled around her. She was against one wall, watching a large group of well-dressed people eat what looked like the main course. The food rivaled the dishes served at the ball Mal'd taken her to. The odors were enough to make her feel like she was there, so rich and good. Light conversation about the weather, their various flight experiences, whom had gone missing while on vacation, and general gossip mingled past her in a confused, muffled mess. She marveled at the swanky clothes.

The tune change becoming soft and soothing as it drifted over the diners. The servants, even, were dressed in the most splendid suits. As she watched the food from the main course was smartly removed from the table while another wave of servants brought in desert. At the head of the table the elderly woman who was the guest of honor was surprised as a platter was settled down in front of her. Kaylee heard her ask the meaning of the placement. Another individual, in position where Kaylee couldn't see him answered her by telling her that they as a group honored her with a special treat of her very own. But when she lifted the lid on the tray she and all those around her screamed. The 'treat' was someone's head inside a clear dessert. Rare fruits floated around it like a crown…

Jayne heard Kaylee's scream as it ripped through the castle and turned to see her crumpling to the floor. He leapt to her side, unable to reach her as she fell. He lifted her head and felt for blood. How was he going to explain this to Mal? 'Never mind Mal,' his brain answered, 'How are ya gonna reason with Simon?' He realized that the only one who could explain to either of the other two men was Kaylee herself. He patted her cheek, "Come on. Wake up." He could hear the sounds of the others heading that way. He was going to be in so much trouble, and he didn't even know what had happened. Jayne looked around and noticed the cover on the table was up, revealing the rich color of the wood. The shine on it seemed to beckon to him, calling out that he touch it. Impulse and instinct struggled for a moment before he snagged the cover and snapped it back in place. One the floor, Kaylee moaned. Jayne looked back at her as Mal and Simon flew through the door as if they had been pushing on it. They stumbled. "I suppose you wanna know what's happenin'?" Jayne asked with worry stamped on his face.


	4. The Calm Before

**A/N**: more revision.  
Still thanking 24K, my ghost-co-writer.  
And, I still don't own anything from _Firefly. _:(

Serenity: Walk Among Ghosts

Part 4: The Calm Before.

Zoë watched as Jayne led Kaylee off to the dining room where the environmental controls were located. The broad-shouldered mercenary was leaning toward the slim mechanic as they softly conversed. The soldier in her disliked that Jayne had no discipline, but the other side of her, the one that was the second-in-command, the widowed wife, the pseudo-mother figure to Serenity's thrown together family, could see that there was a sibling sort of love there. Jayne would die before he let anything happen to the young woman he saw as his sister. A chill swirled around her, lifting goose bumps under her shirt. Determined to ignore the strangeness of the building, she clenched her jaw and focused her gaze on the hallway. There was something odd about this place. If not for River, she'd have advised them to be long gone.

With Jayne out of the way, Mal near instantly relaxed. He glanced around the room. The books alone could get them a pretty tidy sum, he figured. Not that it felt right to actually take them. His eyes moved back to the tall woman in the doorway. How he could be relaxed with his second hovering over by the door with one eye on the hallway like an ambush was hidden around the corner was another matter altogether. Well, that was somethin' anyway. Trust Zoë to treat everyplace the same, like a war zone waiting to happen. Of course if Wash had been there things would be different. He sighed, keeping one eye on his friend, all the while fighting off the feeling that he was losing her just a little bit more with every passing day.

Over on the couch Inara was sitting next to River with one arm around her shoulders. Concern radiated off of the companion for the younger woman who was shivering under her brother's sweater while he kneeled at her feet and tried to make medical sense of his sister's spiritual crisis. Finding no reason for River's shivering, Simon finally resorted to holding her hands and whispering nonsense to her in an effort to calm her. River focused on her brother, curling her fingers with his and drawing into herself. She finally smiled weakly.

It was at that moment that the scream tore through the building. Simon felt River push him away, her eyes telling him to go check on Kaylee. He wasn't even sure how he got to his feet, his mind checked in with him when he was already half way down the hall and trying to stop before he crashed into the door. Mal's boots rang out on the wood floors in time with his, and it was only the iron grip on his waistband that kept him upright. With a rebounding boom that echoed in the two story rectangular space, first Simon, then Mal, connected with the wooden surface that was oddly solid and firm. Not even the knob rattled. The doctor's hand was curled around the elegant handle as he attempted to gain entry, but the door was not opening for some odd reason, even as the handle turned in his hand signaling that it was unlocked. Mal backed up a step, saw the difficulty, and put his weight on the door as well. A fluent torrent of Chinese slang flowed from the captain's mouth, ending with a "Why is this door being so stubborn?" At that moment both men discovered that the block was suddenly gone. Luckily neither of them actually fell.

It only took a moment for Mal to literally feel that Jayne had fallen another notch if that was at all possible. At the very least, he had company in the 'beat Jayne' department now, considering the look on the good doctor's face as Simon took in the prone, unconscious form of his lover whom was currently being slapped on the cheek. Jayne looked up at them with wide, scared eyes, "I suppose you wanna know what's happenin'?" His voice had a shake to it that calmed Mal down. Mal flung an arm out at caught the Doc's shirt, crumpling the white fabric in his fist and half blocking the black-haired man with his arm.

"Best be speaking right quick, now," Mal warned the man on the floor. Simon stopped, coiled like he was about to tear Jayne into pieces, held back only by the authority that the captain wielded with quiet sureness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kaylee could hear voices. The all too-male tones sounded very familiar. Not her brothers' or her father's voices, but family-like all the same. But wait. Wasn't she half-aways across 'verse away from home anyhow? Or somethin' like that. Right. So these male voices weren't family. One was close to her and sounded scared. For some reason she found herself thinking, 'I should be waking up, right 'bout now. On account that Jayne is gonna get his arse whipped like a bad dog. Wait. Jayne. What is that crap he's spouting?' Which, all in all, was a very good question as the man kneeling over her was attempting to explain why he'd been slapping her cheek to her very irate lover, "Well, see. It was like this. I was takin' little Kaylee here over to them there controls. She was followin' me, just a step behind. And we was talking about your sister and 'Nara being all acting funny. I didn't even know she'd stopped. I was all the way over there, by the wall. She must've stopped here. I heard her scream and just had time to catch her before she fell. I didn't do nothin'! Why you lookin' at me like that, Doc?"

"Anything else, Jayne?" That was the Captain's voice there, Kaylee knew. The sound was like velvet over sharpened steel. 'Hun Dan! He is pissed,' Kaylee thought.

"The table was exposed --"

"What _does_ the table have to do with you hitting Kaylee, you --" That there was Simon. Sweet, loving, Simon. Sounding like he was about half a minute away from ripping out Jayne's organs so he could sell them on the black market.

"Shut up, Doc." Kaylee made herself moan with the effort to control her own body. She felt like an Alliance cruiser had run her down and not stopped. Pain coursed over every nerve, flooding her with dull agony. Part of her mind informed the other part that pain was not supposed to be on the agenda for the day and that she'd not been injured anyhow even as the sound passing through her lips got the three men's attention. There was a faint rustle of fabric as her lover's scent became stronger. She felt his warm, tender, soft hands as he focused his medical knowledge on her. Mal's voice still came from a height that relayed that he was standing, "Kitchen, Jayne. Now."

"But, Mal--"

"Now, Jayne. Kaylee can find the controls on her own once she comes too. Doc? You take care of her. I'll deal with Jayne."

There was a long pause in which Jayne slowly got to his feet and Simon stared at him like he was evil incarnate. Finally the doctor answered with a, "Yes, sir," before returning all his attention to Kaylee. Mal wasted no time in herding his wayward mercenary out of the dining room and across the hall. Kaylee could hear the sounds of her captain's boots ringing out on the hardwood floor and the faint sound of a slightly disused door swinging shut. Simon finally began speaking a mix of English and Chinese nonsense to her that she knew from their cuddling sessions. She curled her hand around his and squeezed before opening her eyes. His string of loving words broke with, "How do you feel?"

"Something bad happened here, Simon. Something real bad. Can't you feel it?" She tightened her grip on his hand to keep him there. He frowned and shook his head all the while looking deeply into her eyes. He believed her, that much she could tell. Maybe River had been saying the same thing to him, or perhaps 'Nara was acting just as out of character. Of course, she'd been jumpy ever since Serenity had touched down on this ball of dirt. "Someone put a woman's head in a fancy dessert and presented it at a swanky dinner party. It was horrible, Simon. Whoever it was, they all knew her. I think her grandmother was the guest on honor at the party, too. I could feel her – shock, terror – I'd never felt anything so strong. I hope River's not feeling this from touching stuff."

Simon was rather floored. "Look, love, we'll sort it all out. Okay? I don't know what you saw and felt but you don't go making things up. I believe you," with that he kissed her to reassure her that his feelings were just the same as they had always been. "Let's check the control box and get back to the others." She nodded, feeling more herself than she had in quite a while. At least Simon wasn't calling her crazy like Jayne practically had. He helped her to her feet and kept her away from the furniture as they moved toward the environmental control panel. She made quick work of it, her face slowly contorting into a frustrated frown.

"There's not at thing wrong with it. It looks like it was calibrated sometime within the last 3 months. Odd."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Meanwhile in the kitchen:

Jayne was looking at Mal wondering if he could count on the good Captain to save him from the mad doctor in the room across the hall. For once he'd actually done nothing wrong, yet it seemed that everyone was placing the blame on him. It was times like this that he missed Book the most. The wise preacher always had known how to make others think about things before they killed on another. With him gone Mal'd taken a step deeper into darkness and insanity. He was far less stable than he'd been before Book's death, not that he'd been a calm person before. He decided that perhaps silence was the better part of valor at the moment anyhow.

The captain in question was looking around the opulent area. The cabinets and counters were of top grade materials. Any fool could tell that they had cost big money to install. He reached out a hand and brushed some of the fine dust off the shiny stone countertop. Jayne's breath hitched behind him, and he looked over at the brawny man with a questioning expression. "I reckon you were telling the truth, hum?" Jayne was watching him closely like he was expecting him to become possessed from touching the surface. "Nothing happened to me Jayne. Nothing jumped out. I expect that Kaylee will confirm your story and that Simon will be back to his normal suave self."

"Yeah?" Jayne was hopeful. That would be really good, if true. Mal just nodded as he turned his attention to opening the cabinets and peering inside. "Kaylee was saying that this planet made her feel uppity. I don't know, Mal… Even Zoë's acting tight. Like she does when she's sensing a fight coming. Tell you the truth, I wanted to leave after sweeping the place."

Mal turned at looked at him, "And yet, you spoke like everything was peachy, Jayne. Why?"

"Zoë." He looked at his boots. Mal tapped his foot in annoyance. The silence punctuated with 'tap, tap… tap, tap' finally became more than Jayne could bare, "She said that River would go into full reaver-killing mode to get back to here, Mal. That she'd hurt Serenity. I just couldn't see any argument against that. River's scary when she goes all kill-first-ask-nonsense-never."

One of the cabinet doors slowly creaked closed as Mal's hand fell away, "Knowing River, Zoë is likely right." Jayne looked up at the captain's intense gaze. "Thank you, Jayne, for thinking of the damage River could do to my ship. I just wish you and Zoë had pulled me aside and told me the truth before now."


	5. A Drink, Please?

**A/N**: It's a bit short, but I reached a good stopping point. I might revise it later...

Walk Among Ghosts

Part 5: Stormy Understanding

Mal was starting to feel the strain of the day. The landing on this dirtball world was deceptively gentle, and reflecting back on the uncharacteristic glide Serenity had taken on the way down he should have known that the day was about to become long and frustrating. He'd overlooked it, of course. Instead he had patted River on her shoulder for the good job, one that Wash would have been hard pressed to top, in fact, given how touchy the old firefly was about landings. Really, he should have known then. Like the blind man he was, he'd brushed it off and chalked it up to things finally going his way. Things never went his way, and when they did, he usually ended up in pain.

The next clue that the day was not going to go well was the trouble in locating the cargo. It only took them about thirty seconds to load it once they found it, but the finding took the better part of twenty minutes. He knew they had time though so wasn't worried that the drop wouldn't happen. He'd been vaguely worried he would end up on the Doc's table getting a bullet removed, but no inkling that he'd be stood up. Yet… the meeting hadn't happened. They waited, then looked around, then waited… Finally he decided that two hours was long enough and it was time to get back to space.

By the time the mule pulled back up to the ship and he spotted River a sinking feeling was starting to build in his gut. Her run made it worse. This place intensified it. Kaylee's passing out was either due to her and the doctor not being careful enough or - something very strange was going on. He almost wished that the pair had put a bun in the oven, in spite the problems that would cause in the long run. His luck though would be that something was happening here, in this oddly out of place structure. That feeling strengthened until it was enough to threaten to pull him through the floor. He really needed a drink.

His sense of movement for a moment gave him the feeling that he was standing still and the universe was speeding around him. He blinked and the sensation disappeared. He looked over at Jayne and opened his mouth to ask what exactly was going on here when, unfortunately for Mal, all hell broke loose.

Cupboards all around the room flew open and the rather expensive contents began to soar about in a hurricane of glass, china, and silverware. Stunned, Mal stood frozen as a china set for something like twenty, complete with bread plates, swirled past him, teacups chattering and clattering in an odd little dance. Jayne made an undignified squaw of pure terror as he ducked a rather heavy crystal pitcher aimed at his head. The captain's attention was focused on the salad tongs snapping past his ear as the pitcher swerved upwards at the last possible moment, hovered just over Jayne, who quickly attempted to dodge, before crashing with a shower of tinkling shards just behind the barstool Jayne had been leaning against.

Both men threw their arms up against the heavy, sharp, fragments. "What the guay?" Mal asked the air in disbelief, before trying another tactic. One inspired by Inara's earlier display in the hall. "Stop this insanity right now. All I wanted was a goddamn drink because it's been one very long day. You want our help? You better play nice. You hear me?"

Jayne's head snapped up until his eyes met Mal's. The look on the merc's face was one that stated clearly that perhaps the captain had some screws loose. The chaos around them intensified as the dual taps began to flow, ice spilled out of the dispenser, and the dishwashers began to spew foamy water out their seals. The sheer volume of noise was likely to bring the others running at any moment, and Mal didn't want to deal with River in the middle of this chaos. He cocked his head and let up a little wish that the damn door had stuck then retracted it because with his luck the exact opposite was more likely.

So while Jayne made an odd dance through the maelstrom of pots and pans, crystal and china, Mal just stood there, plates and spoons swirling about in the air around him, an intense expression on his face, and his hand hovering over his holster. "I'm not kidding," he finally said in the tone of voice that chilled Jayne to the core.

The merc ducked and stayed half crouched behind the bar with various items sailing past his head of their own accord. Jayne had heard that tone of voice before, one time. It was a tone he'd never forget. Just hearing it sent him back to that space in time when the only thing between life and death had been Mal's desire to cause him pain first. He swallowed then flinched as a heavy wooden ladle clobbered the middle of his back.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë was watching Simon hover over Kaylee and Inara circle the study. River dozed on the sofa. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the first bang echoed through the hall. It caused her to look toward the kitchen. Oddly enough the noise sounded like crystal shattering. Maybe Mal was scaring the crap out of Jayne again? She caught the companion's eye, signaled her to stay with the others, stepped out of the room into the hall and closed the door behind her. Inara's watchful gaze could keep the others safe enough. There was no reason to get River worked up this late in the day, and Simon was stressed enough over Kaylee.

The sound of water rose in the silence of the hall. That was odd. It seemed to be a massive amount of water running through the pipes like every tap in the place was on at once. She couldn't pin it down to any one location until 'blurb' interrupted the even flowing noise. She frowned and moved toward the kitchen. Mal's voice carried on the air, "I'm not kidding," and she froze. The last time he'd used that tone of voice he'd almost killed Jayne.

Her various 'hats' warred with each other. The part that was Mal's friend wanted to find out what was going on. The part that was the second in command whispered that if Jayne had done something to the engineer that it was Mal's job to take care of it, and she should leave it be. Then there was the 'mothering' part of her that felt Jayne needed someone to keep him alive, because he was too stupid at times to do it himself. Mal could be wrong. The final tally was two to one and she steeled herself as she reached for the door.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Just as suddenly as it began, everything fell to the floor with a multi-toned clatter of china and glass breaking among a mulit-timbre metallic clang. Mal visibly relaxed. Then, much to his surprise, a bottle of well-aged whisky wobbled across the floor to settle against his boot. Mal bent down to pick it up just as a squadron of shot glasses aimed at his head like they'd been thrown. Behind him Jayne said, "Ouch. What'd ya do that for?" Mal looked over at Jayne to see him rubbing his temple where a rather specific pattern was emerging in the bruise.

Mal picked up the shot glass and studied the cut pattern on it before looking back at the mark. "That was pretty good. Nice impression, but no breaking the skin."

The door rattled and the room was plunged into darkness. Mal cursed softly under his breath and made sure his grip on the bottle was secure. The door opened to reveal Zoë's form. "Why are you in here in the dark?" she asked as she reached for the switch on the wall.

"Ah, no reason… just, um. Jayne?" Mal felt rather sheepish about the entire episode and was glad for the darkness. How would he explain the mess?

"Yeah," came the sound of Jayne's voice from behind the bar where he was still huddled.

Zoe rolled her eyes. More likely than anything was the possibility that the noise had nothing to do with anything. She flipped the switch and the lights illuminated an _immaculate_ kitchen, save the shot glasses on the bar and the ajar door where bottles of liquor were stored. "Getting a drink?"

Mal nearly dropped the scotch. Then he recovered his cool and gathered up the glasses. "I do believe that we all need it." He moved toward the study leaving behind a baffled Jayne and an amused Zoë.


	6. Bump in the Night

A/N: Credit for the chappie belongs to my 'Ghost Writer', 24K, who reminded me that the chapter was almost done and dang it, she needed her firefly fix. Enjoy. **  
**

**Walk Among Ghosts**

Part 6: Bump in the Night

Zoë looked back at Jayne, who was cowering behind the bar and being very careful not to touch anything with his fingers except the spot on the side of his head where a very dark bruise was forming. She noted that the bruise was rather oddly patterned and nearly perfectly circular. Oddly enough, she guessed it was about shot glass sized across. She tore her eyes away from it as Mal slipped past her and moved out of the kitchen. She had no doubts that the captain was heading back to the study with a bottle of scotch that was worth a fortune and enough shot glasses for all of them. "Come on, Jayne," she held the door open for the mercenary and was further amused as he scuttled quickly out of the kitchen. Sometimes she wondered where his brains were.

Jayne, on the other hand, was feeling like the castle itself was out to get him. Perhaps he was right, in part. Or not. Fact of the matter, he was seriously beginning to realize that there was – something strange happening here. Unlike the Reavers, this something was intangible and there was no way to fight something you couldn't reach out and grab. But he had the proof that it could fight you. He was rubbing it, in fact. His jumbled thoughts even managed to take into consideration the odd temperature of the air eddies raising bumps on his arms. Cold currents that never seemed to end.

Mal was whistling as he entered the study, much to Simon's and Inara's surprise. Kaylee spotted the bottle and brightened considerably. "Hey, there! Captain. Looks like you hit a jackpot." The beaming cheer was back in her countenance and voice. The good doctor settled down next to her looking like her good mood eased several years worth of worry from his soul.

"I did. But not without some serious help." He set the shots out and opened the bottle. By the time he finished pouring both Zoë and Jayne had entered the room. "There are some issues I need to address," Mal said as he turned towards his second with a glass in hand. Zoë's face was set, but not military hard. He offered her the shot and she took it, but Mal didn't confront her with the minor deception to keep them at the castle. Instead he offered the following shots to Simon, then Kaylee, 'Nara, Jayne, and a sleepy River. He picked up the last glass and settled into a chair. He took a swig of the scotch and hummed. "Ah, this is fine booze!"

Jayne knew he was off the hook, being that Mal handed him a glass over throwing it at him. He followed Mal's example into a seat and took an experimental sip of the scotch. It wasn't bad. Actually it was quite good. He leaned back and tried to tune out the throb from the purple-black bruise peaking out from his hairline.

"So, you had 'issues' Mal?" came 'Nara's voice from the region of the fireplace.

"Um--" Mal was aware that most eyes, except Jayne's and River's, were focused his direction. He ignored them, relaxing into the plush chair and closing his eyes. "I guess I do. But then, when have I not? It's late, my temper is frayed, and my judgement is not top shape either. I admit, though, I didn't want to stay planetside any longer than was necessary."

Inara looked over at Zoë and twirled the shot glass with its untouched amber liquor. The dark skinned woman looked away, choosing to focus on the hallway again. "It's about three in the afternoon, local time. And while I cannot contest that your temper and judgement might not be in top shape, the impression is that you've reached some sort of – percept – about what is going on here." Mal opened his eyes and looked at her. The companion raised an eyebrow and sipped at the scotch finally. "Um, this _is_ good," She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice nor the thought in her head. Mal just nodded in agreement and closed his eyes again.

Kaylee held Simon's hand and drank the liquor slowly. She had little experience with the expensive stuff, really. Perhaps by savoring it she could discover why it was 'good' but so far she'd only determined that it was overpriced.

River put her glass down after dipping her finger in it and tasting the scotch, "People died here."

The silence in the room deepened like the castle was holding its breath. Mal then said, "Figured as much. Given how I 'found' the scotch, anyway. And the bit about the victims wanting revenge you sprouted back at the gate. Supposin' that we are meant to be the tools of that revenge, we need to figure out how and why."

"You mean, you really think that--" Kaylee started.

"This place is haunted." Zoë's voice came from the door. "Really, Mal?"

The captain and father figure of the _Serenity_ crew looked over at his second, "From what I've seen, Zoë, it is undeniable." Zoë glanced at him, clearly not believing this was happening. "Hey, I'm not the one staring out at the hall waiting for a troop of soldiers to come breaking in." That pulled her away from the door and back to the shot she'd left on the end table. "Deny all you want," Mal continued, "but I got 'Nara, River, Kaylee, and Jayne all telling me about strange stuff. Stuff I've seen with my own eyes, mind you. And you, Doc. What do you think?"

Simon looked at his half empty shot and rolled the glass slowly between his palms for a bit before responding, "Kaylee told me the truth. She experienced – something. I'd be willing to bet that if we did some searching that evidence would turn up to support what she saw."

"Which was what, exactly?" Zoë asked.

Kaylee hated being grilled by folks with an attitude, but seein' as Zoë was family-like… "Well, I don't know how exactly, but back there in the dining room I saw - like I was there, mind you - a dinner party. I could smell the food, hear the music and the people talking and eating… It was so real. Everything seemed fine, until the very end. The servants brought in desserts. Loads and loads of them. Huge platters. But there was one dish that was covered. It was placed at the head of the table, in front of this old woman. When it was opened there was a young woman's head inside a fancy gel mold, with fruit adoring her hair. I got the impression that the folks knew her, just by the shocked reactions and screams."

Zoë drained her shot glass.

"Psychometry. You experienced a very powerful psychic impression, Kaylee. It should be reproducible," Inara said. "Although I'm not sure of the value in doing so."

The engineer looked over at the companion. Simon replied, "Once was enough, I think." Jayne relaxed, realizing that the Doc wasn't going to kill him now. Simon took another drink from his glass leaving a small measure behind, "Establishing that something did happen here, and unraveling what it was are two different things. Unless we can help River sort through what she's picking up on like we did on Miranda, leaving would be dangerous."

Mal refilled his shot and settled back in the chair, "Point taken, Doc. But I don't like it."

"I don't either," River stated before she got to her feet. "It's not so bad when there's only one of them but when there's so many…" she gestured with her arms indicating that there was an unseen crowd in the room with them. "And so much despair." Inara crossed over to the distressed woman and placed her arms around her. River responded by clutching the companion and putting her face in the mass of curls.

There was a span of silence.

Mal cleared his throat. "Well, I'm thinking that the barred door back in the antechamber is a mite suspicious. And I'm guessing there should be some hidden passages, because you just can't have a proper castle without them. When you made the sweep, did you find any other stairs? Any way up into the three standing towers or down into the cellar? Servant quarters?" He looked to Zoë and Jayne who were both shaking their heads, "No? See, here, there has to be more than what you checked out then." Jayne was looking pale again. "Not that it's a problem, no. We'll do a complete search in the morning, from top to bottom. Kaylee, I'd like you and the Doc to go back to the ship and grab all the captures we got there. Anything odd, we'll want to document. Make sure the cargo is stored, get any other meds you need and lock _Serenity_ up. If you want you can do it tonight."

"I locked the ship, Mal," Jayne offered.

"How about we set off now, that way we'll be back by dark," Kaylee said, "And can we take Jayne too? Just in case." Mal nodded and the three of them left the room.

Inara said, "I'll take River up to a room. I think both of us could use a siesta." Neither Mal nor Zoë protested as the two women left the room as well.

Zoë looked at Mal once they were alone. "You could have pulled me aside, Zoë. I know River as well as you do." She hung her head and moved over to sit in a chair near his.

"I realize that, now. I'm sorry Mal."

He looked over at his oldest friend, his constant companion and family. "Zoë, I know you're hurting still. You blame me, rightly so. I carry that weight, and I do miss him. I miss them both." Zoë wasn't sure if it was the liquor or Mal's words but she felt tears in her eyes. She swallowed thickly and picked up her shot glass. Mal smirked at her and refilled it. She let the sharp pain settle where her heart used to live and looked at the amber liquid. "I'm the sorry one, Zoë," Mal stated. "I can't even ask for you to forgive me, on account of the fact that I don't deserve it." She shook her head, not sure if she was meaning 'no I don't forgive you' or 'no, you do deserve it'. Her throat was too constricted for her voice to move past it, so she drank instead.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jayne was counting his blessings. He was still alive, which was good because he seriously thought that when he left the castle, Simon was gonna kill him. Instead he discovered that Kaylee wasn't angered, Simon was fine, and that so trip to _Serenity_ passed without incident. They hid what they were told to hide, the collected what they'd come to get, locked the ship up nice and tight, and headed back, with the mule, to the castle. Dinner had passed with pleasantness, seeing as Mal and Zoë were both smashed by the time Kaylee rustled up some food. Then they all retired to bedrooms to sleep. He'd slept well, considering the place was haunted. Now, though, he was awake and it was still dark. He never woke up in the middle of the night. He rubbed his face and rolled over. His bladder protested, painfully. Cursing under his breath he got up and pulled on a shirt but didn't bother with his pants. Likely no one else was up anyhow.

He padded down the plushy carpeted hall toward the single bathroom that they'd discovered in the place, not thinking that someone might spot him in his slouchy socks and dingy boxers, scratching sleepily where he felt the need to. Reaching the door with his eyes still slightly closed he extended his hand toward the knob.

Unknown to Jayne, Mal was in the process of using the facilities. His pants were down around his ankles as he sat, still slightly drunk, on the toilet. The slight 'plonk' was far more metallic sounding then it should've been, but Mal was not paying any attention.

Sleepy Jayne heard the 'plonk' too, but also ignored it. Had they looked they would have seen the hinge pin sliding back into place, but not catching the half of the hinge attached to the door. But both men were occupied in other matters, so several seconds later there was an ominous creaking and the door swayed, caught only on the latch…

Neither Mal nor Jayne caught the not-so-insignificant hints that something was not quite right. Neither could ignore the door when it teetered and fell, however. Jayne couldn't because it fell on him, whacking him quite hard in the face. "Oopht!" was about the only surprised sound he could manage as the seemingly solid and heavy wooden door flattened him to the opposite wall. He knew that his nose was bleeding, and that very soon he'd need to take a piss.

And Mal couldn't because suddenly he had much less privacy for what he was doing. "What the--" came the captain's voice.

"Mal! Thisth place is stryin' to kill me!" Jayne was weakly attempting to lift the door, but was unable to budge it due to the weight of the thing, "Gorram ish! Whath is sthis made of, lead?"

Meanwhile, Mal collected his wits, tried not to snicker, and was slowly doing up is buttons, quite sure that Jayne couldn't see anything. It was rather amusing, if not a trifle annoying that the castle's residents seemed set on picking on Jayne. "I think that's a standard hollow wood door, Jayne. Here, let me help you." He moved over and lifted the door easy as could be off the mercenary.

"I thinch my snose is broshen, Mal." Jayne was clutching his nose, and yes, there was some small measure of blood there.

Mal set the door against the wall, snagged a washcloth from the shelf inside the restroom, and gave it to Jayne, "That might be. I'll get the Doc." And before Jayne could protest Mal walked off toward the bedroom Simon was sharing with Kaylee. Jayne decided that he'd take a piss and then hide in his room and do it fast before Mal walked in and needed to laser the image of the ship's doctor and the ship's mechanic doing more than sleepin'.


	7. Morn After

**A/N: New chapter for you all. I know it's been a bit, but I'm not dropping the story. I just got hit with a case of writer's block is all. I don't own _Serenity/Firefly_ or the ghosts, so don't sue me...****;-D  
**

**Morn After**

The morning dawned bright and clear. Zoë opened her eyes and winced. Too bright and too clear, rather. It had been a very long time since she'd gotten _that_ smashed she thought ruefully. Her nose informed her that the bedding had a dusty smell. She had not noticed the night before in her drunken stupor, but at least it was a normal _unused_ kind of odor. She supposed that she was more aware of the smell because her mouth felt like cotton, dry and sticky. The brass band playing a marching tune in her head alongside the miners trying to cave in her skull were par for the course, she knew. Even the sharp light of the bright morning drilling through her eyes was a punishment she deserved for her liberal libations the night before. At least the booze had been quality stuff and not watered down.

She lay there for a bit longer, the unusual situation of the day before replaying in her memories. Not that many days aboard _Serenity_ were normal in any regard, but she guessed that not getting shot at was strange enough for most regular days. Yesterday though was odder than most, the strange sounds and temperature shifts certainly had her nerves standing on end. And yet, she had taken a course of action without completely checking the safety of the environment out of a certainty that River would do way more damage and pose a greater threat than any unknown. She still felt that way.

Mal had relayed to her that he thought the sweep she and Jayne had performed was lacking in several ways, not only in imagination but also in care. She supposed that he was right, after all, just on account that there were no gunshots going of around her to make her flash fully back to her military days. Not to mention that it was a bloody castle they were in. Secret passages? Well, it made a twisted sort of sense. The sweep hadn't revealed any way to reach the towers, not to mention that they'd only found one bath. With so many rooms she supposed that there was a lot she'd overlooked.

Glancing at the floor, she studied the angle of the light filtering through the window. It was early still, judging by rays of sunlight that danced across the foot of the bed. But it was too late to go back to sleep and without Wash around to tempt her, staying in bed had little appeal. The sharp ache in her chest flared for a moment at the though of her glorious, child-like, beautiful husband. He would have loved this place with carefree glee. Tears pricked at her eyes again, and she rather violently threw herself into a sitting position. The pain of the movement forced the emotional loss to fade. Damn it all, when was she going to move on? He was gone, for good, and no amount of wishing was going to change that.

Her eyes moved over the sheet-covered room. The only thing she'd been interested in last night in her drunken stupor was the bed. She reached out and touched the finely carved wood that was polished smooth and dark as it wrapped around the mattress, incasing it like gentle hands. The single piece head and foot board was beautiful deep ruddy colored wood, almost the color of root beer, and the sunlight touching it set the piece alight with tiny sparks of deep amber fire. If she had to bet, she'd guess the rest of the furniture would be matching.

For a second she could almost feel the familiar creeping presence of the man she'd married behind her. She closed her eyes and let the impression soak into her soul. That timeless moment before he actually wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into the warmth created from their lovemaking. But those arms never came, and they never would again. She hovered there, in the profound knowledge of what she had lost and forced the steel plates back around her heart. Her emotions walled off, she flung the bedclothes off herself and got up in spite of the protest her brain made to the movement. Zoë shook out her clothes, dressed with a grim face, and marched out into the hall. She'd live with the effects of her foolishness. All of them.

She noted the bathroom door was sitting in the hall, first off. Rather well away from it's rightful spot, too. There was no way she'd use it like this. Mal was right, there had to be more to this place. Who made a castle with this many rooms and only one bath? Zoë didn't feel like fixing the door either, so she made her way back down stairs and into the servant's hall. Just off the passage was a door that wouldn't open before. She thought that it might have been another servant's room and had left it. This time she pushed against it a bit harder and got the door open. It was a huge tiled room with a pool that looked like it would work for sporting laps, and at the far side she could see a sauna.

The tile was invitingly warm toned, fairly light in color but not so bright that her eyes rebelled at looking at it in her hyperaware state. A pleasant pattern of gold and sea green accented the edge of the pool itself and steam hovered low across the water, hinting that it was heated slightly. Zoë walked into the room carefully, mindful of her surroundings. She quickly found a changing room that included a toilet and a shower. The linens, soaps, shampoos, and lotions were stored in airtight cupboards. And the towels smelled freshly laundered. The combo made up her mind for her. The shower on Serenity just wasn't enough sometimes.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kaylee and Simon had located the bath connected to their room with ease and had 'blessed' it before trying the bed. Rich pink veined marble ran throughout the room, and accents spilled over into the walnut furnished bedchamber in the form of mirror frames and statues. While the sandy-blonde engineer was sleeping like an angel, the Doc was awake and trying to figure out exactly why. His chrono read that it was barely proper to be awake, actually. He rubbed his face and looked over at Kaylee. Her golden accented hair fanned across the burgundy brushed silk pillowcase. She was deep asleep untroubled by dreams at the moment. With a smile he kissed her. She didn't wake. He got up out of the sinfully decadent bed and moved into the bathroom.

Thinking about everything, Simon was sure that something happened here. That the 'age' of the place was artificial, was no question. Too many of the items reminded him of his parents' home, his childhood home, with its fancy sensor activated everything. Unlike Serenity, there was no need to touch the taps, no wait for the water to become the correct temperature, and, as Kaylee had discovered last night, no need to add soap to the washer because it was added automatically.

His nerves were set on edge though, and Simon was not used to feeling like this while surrounded by so many things that should have made him feel at home. He picked up the shaver and studied it. It was a safe model, with no blades. 'There's no need to think that the ghosts here, if in fact that is what _is_ happening, want more company,' he mentally scolded.

While Simon was grooming himself for the day, Kaylee woke, stretched, licked her lips and smiled. The mechanic had slept really rather well. She felt safe here, as long as Simon was near. His scent on the pillow next to her head was enough to brighten her mood and chase away any jitters. Without bothering to dress Kaylee got up and wandered into the bath. Simon was doing his normal thing, and just watching him settled her further. She stepped up and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing his shoulder while melding her body to his. He smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She felt his nerves settle and kissed his shoulder again.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë came out of the pool room feeling much more alive. Washed and refreshed, in spite the fact that she was wearing yesterday's clothes. Her thoughts returned to Mal's insistence that the place was haunted. She didn't believe in such nonsense, normally. Or at least she hadn't before River came into her life. The events leading up to her husband's death had shaken many of her old deep-set viewpoints. She headed into the kitchen and looked around. Something had happened here in this kitchen, she knew what she'd heard. An icy cold settled in her gut as she scanned the room looking for any clues. Shortly River wandered in with Inara following.

The companion moved over to the cupboards and began to gather what she needed to make breakfast. "Sleep ok?" She asked. Her dreams had been ghoulish, and she was glad, for once, that she had decided to keep River close by. River had, oddly enough, comforted her and kept her from doing anything stupid in the night. She was, on one level, terrified of what Mal's search might bring to light. 'Nara didn't really want to know if the dreams she suffered from had basis in reality.

"Not bad, but I was too drunk to dream for once. I need to not make that a habit," Zoë replied. "I found another area with showers and toilets."

River settled down at the bar on the stool, "There are bathrooms connected to every bedroom. I could hear Simon and K--."

"Honey, I don't want to know," Zoë interrupted.

'Nara laughed. That explained why there had been no screams from Kaylee, at least. Her laugh sparked River's giggles. River hadn't slept much at all, between Inara's dreams, the spirits on the prowl and her brother's activity. It was good to hear her find amusement in something. It was infectious, apparently, because by the time the food cooking brought down Jayne and Mal, even Zoë was snickering. She had to admit the fact that the doc and the engineer were that loud was amusing. "I reckon they are not down because they are at it again," Zoë commented with a light teasing tone.

"Who?" Jayne asked as he eyed the bar warily.

"Don't be daft Jayne. Who do you think?" Inara set a plate of food in front of him.

Jayne looked around and commented, "Oh, yeah. I see the Doc and Kaylee are missing breakfast."

Mal accepted the food offered even though his head was protesting, "Um, coffee would be good, don't you think?"

Inara handed him a cup; "I didn't see any of the stuff you are used to, so you'll have to deal with this."

Mal looked at her, then down at his cup. He was surprised to find that it was filled with rich, black, and very expensive, real coffee. Mal set his plate down and took a small sip. "I'm going to be spoiled for life…"

"Now you know why I always drink tea." The companion's eyes twinkled with wicked mirth, although her voice was matter-of-fact flat.

Those in the kitchen enjoyed their food; Kaylee and Simon came in as Mal was finishing up his second cup of coffee with a dreamy look on his face. Simon asked, "Is that coffee?" sounding rather hopeful. Inara flashed him a grin and handed him a cup with his plate. Simon could have cared less about the food, with the real coffee in front of him. "I haven't had this since… Oh my first year as a med student. They served tea after that claiming that it was better for you." Once again, Kaylee couldn't tell the difference between the coffee on Serenity and the coffee she got here. She passed her cup to River who finished it off.

After finishing, the assembled crew looked over at Mal. Suddenly he felt the spotlight of their collective attention on him and thought fled, for just a moment. He cleared his throat. "All right, we need a complete search of this building. It's a castle, and everyone knows that castles should have secret passages. I saw three towers from outside and no stairs or hallways leading to them." He looked at Zoë. "We should pair up, take a capture with you and document anything strange you find. River, you are with me. Kaylee, Jayne, stick with 'Nara. Take the upstairs. Zoë, you and Simon start in the servant's area, I spotted a door that was ajar."

He was answered by a chorus of "Yes Sirs" and "Sure, Captain". Mal hoped that they could solve this mystery and soon.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Nature was so full of tools that there was little he couldn't do, little he couldn't accomplish. He relished these times when he was at one with the wild nature of this backwater planet. He didn't spend enough time here, really. But then, no one else did either and at the moment he knew that there was a group of individuals that didn't belong here to take care of. He fixed his direction from the settlement in his mind, the stone structure calling to his soul like a lodestone. He could almost feel the trespassers in his playground, waiting like rats in a maze for the snake to be set loose. Three days walk, that was what it would take him… Three days. He hoped they were ready to play.

The rather plain-faced man straightened and looked back at the twisted hulk of metal that had once been a space-worthy ship. Then again, with a crew as dense at the one that flew on that particular ship, he'd been lucky to make it as far as he had. His ice blue eyes twinkled in sadistic mirth. Picking them off one by one and having the blame each other until it was down to the last three had been so very fun…

He'd been kinda screwed really after he'd killed the pilot. But she'd gotten wind of his game first and had to be silenced. That meant the ship had no safe way to land. Lucky for him, he was tough enough to survive crashes. He scratched the long, ragged scar that marred the back of his left hand and forearm. One of his … _loves _had given him that wound and he'd rubbed ashes into it to make it scar as a reminder of their game of wits. He pulled his hat over his closely shorn red-brown hair and set off toward where he heard water. He needed to cover his pale skin and mud would do.


	8. Exploring

**A/N:** _Gawd… this was a hard chapter to write. I'm sorry it's taken so long. But then the scenes with 'Nara, Kaylee and Jayne just landed in my lap over the weekend. So. Here you go: enjoy._

Part 8: Exploring

Mal looked at River, his chosen partner for the day. She played with the capture for a moment and looked up at him, catching his eyes. The smile gracing her face was a playful one that belayed how serious things really were. He smirked at her cheer, pushing aside his hangover. "Well, come on then, Little Albatross. I think we have some ghosts to find." With that he set off toward the front of the castle.

River bit her lip. She knew, of course, exactly where he intended to go. The big padlock and stout bar on the butler's quarters door was a pretty clear indication that something had happened there that someone wanted to deter folks from looking at. She was glad that Zoë was with Simon. Steeling her resolve she followed the captain to his quarry.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jayne grumbled all the way up the stairs, in spite of the fact that he had two beautiful women with him and was heading toward bedrooms. Now normal situations would have found him grinning from ear to ear, but this was little Kaylee and 'Nara he was with, so the normal of the situation was rather right out the window.

The peppy engineer had the capture ready to record at a moment's notice. At least she'd not be able to touch anything. 'Nara on the other hand – well, she was touchin' everything with that 'knowing' way of hers starting right at the edge of then circular staircase room, as if there were passages to find even where the walls were too thin to support them. "You lookin' to get Zapped, 'Nara?" He asked her, trying to keep the all too evident pout out of his voice.

She sighed, "The key to finding secrets, any sort of secrets, is knowing intimately what is not secret first. The sense of touch is the most powerful of the senses, if you've been trained to use it."

"Kinda like my 'knowing' how Serenity fits together and flows when she's workin' right lets me catch when she's workin' wrong before something bad happens?" Kaylee piped up.

Inara turned her dark-tressed head to look at the young woman and gifted her with a brilliant smile, "Exactly like that, Kaylee."

Jayne didn't see the similarity at all.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë's mood was – dark. Simon knew this even though it didn't show on her 'soldier' face she was currently sporting. She set to work opening doors and scanning for differences from the day before, leaving the doors open as she went. The Doc did not try to talk with her, because talking would likely get him shot with the mood the second had wrapped around herself. Instead, he hovered behind her and tripped sensor activated switches, looking for anything unusual that might indicate a backlit door or other oddity with the furniture. He sure wished she'd slow down and be more complete with her search.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Mal marched right up to the padlocked door and looked at it like it _offended _him. Well, maybe it did. Or maybe it was the only way he could convince himself to actually shoot it. Behind the heavy wood came a scribbling, scratching sound. Like bone dice on a hardwood table. Teeth gnawing away at a fence post. Claws scampering over a floor… He paused, tilted his head, and leaned slightly toward the noise.

The brown-haired man glanced back at his pilot and raised an eyebrow at her. He could see that the capture is recording and that she's got the little mike extended to catch the sound. Might be rats, he supposed. His expression changed to ask her if she was ready for this. River gave him a nod. He stood back and blew the padlock off the door…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Inara seemed to be _seducing _the very walls of the castle. Now how anyone could actually do that, Jayne had no idea. He was trying to not watch her, because if he did he could imagine all sorts of scenarios by which she was touchin' folks – himself included – that way. They were supposed to be heading upstairs, but the dark headed companion was intent on the walls of the main hall. The gun blast from the entry room didn't even make her flinch, although Jayne himself nearly felt his skeleton jump free from his muscles.

Just Mal openin' that locked room.

She reached the dining room door and eased it open. "Oh!" He wondered what she saw to cause her to freeze like that.

Kaylee jumped in with the capture. _Every_ chair in the very large dining room was stacked in columns from floor to ceiling in the most unstable ways imaginable. Single legs balanced against carved backs, chairs teetering on the barest point of a corner making slow spins between others that are not moving, oddly branching 'trees' of chairs that look like something a Chinese acrobat might to with sticks and plates… Kaylee didn't even bother to be multi-lingual, "Wow! Look at that!" She pans the capture from one side of the room to the other, up and down each stack slowly enough to record the position of every single one of the 150 or so chairs in the room. It's like they are being rewarded for the gentle exploration by this encompassing yet harmless display.

Jayne backs away slowly, to avoid angering whatever it is in this place that has been trying to kill him. "Well, 'Nara… Looks like touch is mighty powerful."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë finds herself sidestepping moving lumps in the carpets. Now this is odd, sure, but she was drunk last night on fine booze that hadn't been watered down. So she might be seeing things. Sure, that's what it was. The capture recording behind her would just show how drunk she'd been was all.

She hoped.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Gun back in the holster, Malcolm lifted the heavy chain away from the bar, dropping it onto the exposed wood past the runner in the room to avoid raising a choking cloud of dustmites into the air. The bar was quite weighty, but not impossible for a single person, if they were mighty strong, to lift. He didn't consider himself to be mighty strong after fighting it out with the Operative, so it came as no surprise that the bar strained every muscle he had just to lift the end of it.

Might have been the better part of wise to have had Jayne with him instead of protecting 'Nara… although it was just a bit late for that now. Instead he grunted and found the extra bit of determination to move the obstruction himself. There was no way to avoid the resulting cloud of dust, however, when he let go if it. At least his feet were intact, he thought as he coughed as though his lungs needed to be turned inside out.

River was holding her sleeve over her mouth and nose. Smart ass.

The pause for him to start breathing without needed to choke made him aware that the noise from behind the door seemed like it was moving, first near the door then farther away and back again. Only it wasn't quite like an animal running across the floor. It was like -- A trapped survivor under rubble. He had too many of those experiences from the war, some of which included his own men after Alliance attacks leveled buildings on top of them. The chill that spread over his body had little to do with the temperature of the room.

What would make that sound?

Bone -- On -- Wood. Raw bloody fingers scratching on the underside of the floor. Mal's heart is pounding in his ears as the horrible realization sets in. There might be someone alive in this room. Or under it. Trapped. He's shaking, and frozen, and he's _gotta_ do something.

The door swings open with a creak like it has been a very long time since it has opened. The sound stops. "Hello?" he breathes, as he peers into the dusty darkness. Silence settles like it's always been there, a thick blanket that can't be disturbed for any reason. Mal feels for a light switch, then realizes that the room has old-fashioned individual wall lamps. Flicking one on, he looks over the undisturbed layers of dust illuminated by the yellow glow of a faked oil-lamp. Years worth. Something ain't _right_ here.

"Right." He clears his throat and looks over the details of the room. Nice servant quality bed, little larger than standard issue, with a couple of extra quilts folded across the foot. Neatly made. Desk, with everything set into it's exact spot, lined up, not a thing out of place. Key box on the wall, clearly marked for the parking spaces outside, currently about half full. Black floor-length raincoat on a rack, ready to go should it be needed. Spare pair of highly polished shoes in the rack under the coat. Waxed wood floor with an area rug to stave off the chill. Everything covered with an eighths of dust. The back wall looked to have a built in wardrobe-dresser combo.

He thought about the noise he'd heard and realized that the distant moments had to have been near the far wall. The closet. Mal carefully walked into the room, not touching anything until he reached the door to the wardrobe. He opened it and looked at the neatly hung suits with their shoulder guards to protect them. The dust was less in here, but not completely absent. Then he spotted something out of place. There was a bright purple bit of belting sticking up from the floor. "River, look."

The captain felt her come up behind him and heard the capture recording. She said, "It's a door." Mal knew that. He stood up and got a lamp off the side table and moved the suits aside to expose it better before opening it.

What he saw made him wish he hadn't…

"He trapped them here, to keep them forever. Like butterflies in a jar."

Mal looked at her, "So you knew?"

"Been calling. No one to hear." She buried her head in his shoulder and clutched his arms.

He hugged her, "I'm Sorry, Little Albatross. We'll get them out and stop the bastard who done it. It's all we _can_ do." Mal looked past her back at the source of the phantom noise, at the party of eight broken hikers, mummified by years of being locked under the floor where they were left to die.


	9. Losing Your Partner is Bad

AN:_ This is for my ever delightful and insistent co-writer, 24. Her 'ghostly' research and consistent Jayne-poking are an endless source of inspiration and – Jayne-poking. Although I think we're Zoë-poking this chapter.__** :-D**  
If you like and you review you'll earn my ever-bountiful gratitude. _

Part 9: Why losing your partner is bad…

Mal and River did their best to carefully respect the dead. This was one of those times where the captain wished Book was still alive, because having the man here would have made this entire situation just a little less – creapifying. What he was able to discern was that none of these people had their ID's on them anymore and that they had all died together. Likely moving them would constitute disturbing a crime scene. He'd just concluded that they needed another opinion when there was a startled yell from the main hall, "Mal!" That sounded like Jayne. He looked over at River who shrugged and let the floor hatch close.

"Come on, let's see what's got his panties in a bunch," he mumbled.

River looked back at the dead; "We will get you your retribution." Then she followed the captain out to where Inara, Kaylee, and Jayne were. There was a mighty crash.

"Did you see?" Kaylee asks.

Mal had seen. Chairs. Stacked from floor to ceiling in impossible fashion. And for some reason River's approach caused the entire thing to come tumbling down. He looks at the dark haired girl, who is blinking, rather surprised. Then he glances at Inara and Kaylee and nods. "Jayne, I found bodies. Have you seen Zoë or Simon?"

"Not since the headed off into the servant's wing," the gun for hire says.

"Inara, come with me. River give her the capture and stay with Jayne and Kaylee." He heads off to find the Doc and his first mate. Inara gives the others a raised eyebrow and takes the capture from River before following Mal off.

Jayne stands there staring at Mal's back. He doesn't want to be responsible for the two women. Then again, heading down a dark narrow hall in a haunted castle doesn't really appeal either. He clamps his mouth closed and glares at Kaylee.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë had been walking down this very long, dank hallway opening doors and dodging these – moving bumps – in the carpet runner. The last time she had experienced anything similar to this it was when she'd gotten so drunk that she was still drunk the next day. Seeing as she had gotten drunk the night before it only went to figure that she was still drunk now. Logically.

The last door in the long hall was slightly stuck, but she forced the handle and swung the door open anyhow. It was just like all the rest. Dusty and covered with sheets. She left the door open for Simon and headed around the corner, unaware that the 'corner' became a solid wall behind her as she headed down the back servant's passage…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Simon reached the end of the hallway and looked around. Had he passed Zoë? He turned and glanced in the last room, "Zoë?" Nothing but silence greeted him. He scanned with the capture and stepped back into the hall. It was a dead end. There was no place else to go. He turned a full circle. Three solid walls and a long empty hallway stood before him. Where could she have gone?

He walked back to the next to the last room and looked in there. It was so quiet. He moved into the room. It was so still. Simon made a circuit of the room and stepped back into the hall. Mal was going to kill him. He moved back to the end and began to look carefully. The running lumps in the carpet had stopped. He peered at the walls and found absolutely no difference in any of them from the other sections of wall or each other. Oh man… Mal was going to kill him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The dark skinned woman considered herself to have a pretty level head. This wasn't much of an excuse for not making sure she had Simon with her, but then she just assumed he was – right there. By the time she reached the stairs spiraling upwards and called for him she figured that there wasn't much chance they could get separated here. The castle wasn't that big and the passage had been rather obvious. So she called "Simon?" one final time and headed up the stairs thinking that he'd catch up with her.

The stairs were narrow and slightly steep, but dry and uncovered. The stone clicked under her heels. She peeled off the thick dust and cobwebs when she reached the window, small as it was, and noticed that the mule was parked smack dab in the middle of the courtyard. Might as well announce they were there. Dumb of Jayne to leave it there.

The faint persistent dripping that her ears caught made her slow down, just in case the stairs became wet. She reached the top of the landing and noticed that there was no door. Just an unfinished room with a high narrow window and a roughly thatched roof that was filled with sheet covered forms. The dripping seemed to be coming from here.

A slight breeze wafted through the broken window, rustling the dusty white sheets and bringing a scent to her nose that she was more than familiar with. Faint iron, metallic and moist with an organic tinge. She swallowed and scanned the room. That smelled fresh. Like a fresh wound. She looked herself over to make sure she wasn't bleeding, checking her hands and exposed skin.

She glanced up at the forms dotting the room. The drip seemed to have a rich squishy quality to it, sort of thick on the landing, like syrup or blood… but where exactly was it coming from?

Zoë reached for her weapon, toggling the safety as her natural drive to find the answers to her questions pressed at her, causing her to move into the room. The 'plop, splash, plop-plop splash' noise seemed to be coming from the center of the room. She carefully skirted around the wall, trying to catch sight of the drip as she moved. The dusty sheets caught the breeze and obscured her view.

That was odd, why did that one there look faintly pinkish? No, not pinkish… bloody like a nosebleed? Was there something in the rafters bleeding down on that sheet? She scanned above her head, trying to see into the shadows under the eaves.

Unable to see the cause of the drip and fairly sure there was nothing there, Zoë turned her attention to the cloth covered shapes in the room. The breeze was making it difficult to tell if anything was moving or not. She reached out and snatched the sheet off.

The russet streaked face twisted in a silent scream of grief made her take half a step back. A fresh bead of deep red liquid welled up in the corner of the statue's eye and dribbled down its cheek. She made a face. That was weird.

Zoë turned and slowly slid another sheet off, revealing a second statue. This one had its hands cupped and between its fingers squeezed a slow drip of red, like a suicide victim catching his blood as it ran out of his veins. She glanced at the other forms and decided to leave this room. The fastest route would be through the middle.

Might not be the wisest or safest choice. The sensation of dread however took little of that into account. She strode into the center of the room, cutting for the doorway. There was a change in the dripping sound with each step, going from a 'plop, splash, plop-plop,' to a rapid, 'plop-plop-plop' then a outright trickle of moisture against stone by her third step.

She forced her eyes away from the opening to the stone wall, seeing dark threads of moisture teasing their way down the rough surface. Her eyes darted from one now red stained sheet to another, the smell overshadowing the scent of dust now. She put her hand on the handle of her trusty gun and froze. The air became heavy and still. Thick with the scent of freshly spilled blood.

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be. The forms were still. The sheets starting to cling from the weight of the moisture soaking into them. She put one hand up like she was testing for rain and flinched at the hot drop that splattered against her palm. Taking two very rapid breaths, Zoe wiped her hand on her pants, leaving a red smear.

The sound continued to intensify, along with the volume. By the time she'd reached the center of the round room there was sheets of moisture coating the walls, the coverings were thick and heavy and red. The air seemed to be steaming from the heat of the fresh blood. Her mind told her this was impossible. The blood was starting to pool on the floor and mat down her hair. She couldn't breathe.

But it kept getting worse. Two steps closer to the door and the thick, sticky, liquid flowing from the rafters was coming down it stringy rivulets, connecting the heads of the shrouded forms with the beams above and forming thicker snake like flows across the already damp cloth. A new trickle started right in front of her and she barely stopped in time to avoid walking right into it.

Zoë dodged. She had to get out of here. Her foot caught a heavy, wet, blood filled sheet and she slipped. Catching herself against the wall next to the door she glanced back. The form closest to he moved, lowering the sheet the rest of the way. The face was horribly disfigured, scared and bloody raw. She brought up her gun and pulled the trigger only for it to click empty. The creature – the _reaver_ – bared its pointed teeth at her and advanced, as did its fellows. Zoë back peddled, slipping in the standing inch of blood on the floor.

The sudden lack of level under her slick feet along with the advancing enemy ripped a scream from her throat as she tumbled backwards from a near crouch down the spiral stone stairs. Her head connected with a lucky bit of the wall as she came to a halt and Zoë knew no more…


End file.
